5 Reasons You Might Be Struggling in Your Business

You're listening to the PT Profit podcast, episode number 68. Today I'm walking you through five main reasons your business might still be struggling. Are you ready? Let's get started.

Hi, I'm Beverly Simpson, former fitness manager turned online personal training business owner. And this podcast is where smart fitness professionals, including trainers and clinicians, discover how to increase client performance in movement, package and position their products and services and get out of their own way so that they can increase their revenue to live a life that they love without sleazy sales. Welcome to the PT Profit Podcast.

What's up coach? Thanks so much for pressing play on another episode of the PT Profit Podcast. I'm your host, Beverly Simpson, and today it's just you and me hanging out. We're talking all about the five main reasons that your business might still be struggling. So if you have followed me on the Instagram, you might have known that this weekend my mom was in town and it was the first time that I had seen my family in over 18 months and I didn't even get to see all of my family. But this caused me to be starting work just a little bit early. So it's Monday, 7am And I'm recording this podcast. You might hear some background noise because usually I batch my content but, but we just had some unexpected things come up like my mom visiting and it, I decided it was more important. It is going to lead to actually one of my points. But if you hear some background noises, that's why. And my amazing assistant is going to be scrambling to get this out on time. But I'm, I'm so grateful for both of my assistants. So hopefully we can get this out to you a second SAP. So let's just go ahead and start because we might have some interruption. So let's just go ahead and dive right in. So the first thing, the reason why I'm recording this episode is because we're right now in the PT Profit formula at the halfway mark. So this is a 90 day intensive that I carry people through and I use the word intensive intentionally because it is really dense. And in fact one of the members said to me today, he said, I feel like I'm a high school student in and I'm thrown into a PhD course. It's an intensive because literally I give you everything that multiple millionaires use. And when I say give you everything, I'm talking about tools, I'm talking about principles, I'm talking about the essence of their business is the PT Profit formula. And so it can feel a little bit scary. Think of it this way. I give you it would be like me telling teaching a toddler how to run a marathon when a toddler is just learning how to walk. I operate from Stephen Covey's principles, work with the end in mind. So if I know that I'm going to be running a marathon at some point, everybody starts somewhere. Which is why I create the intensive because I'm going to show you. I'm going to pull back the curtain of what the end will like and then I'm going to be there supporting you, coaching you, giving you all the insights to help you get there efficiently. And there's a lot of things inside of the PT Profit formula that I teach that's different than a lot of the other marketers that are out there. And I that's a good thing because if you're struggling and you've been finding that the other marketers don't work, then I want you to take these principles that we're going to be covering today. And this is my podcast. So it all give you some tangible things that you can take away and test out today to start making some changes. Because if you're listening to this podcast, then I know that you care about the science of training. I know that you care about actually helping your your clients move and improve and eat better. And you already know, just like you tell your clients there's no such thing as a quick fix. So we're not quick fixing. We're changing some perspectives. We're going to look under the hood in your business and see what's causing the struggle. Because chances are, if you're still struggling and you're not where you want to be yet, you might be missing one of these components. So let's start with the PT Profit formula, Essence. And I know I've talked a lot about it, but let's speak about it in a different way. So number one, it's the irresistible offer. If you are struggling, chances are you might not have an irresistible offer. I also talk about this in terms of the profitable products because one of my pillars of performance is the actual transformation. So here's the thing. I did a full training in this podcast on what an actual offer is. It's not just the price. It's not your dollar for hour, it's not your session. And the gyms teach us to trade dollar for hour. Insurances teaches us to trade a dollar for hour. And that's not an irresistible offer. You a full training in this podcast. I'll link it in the show Notes of what an irresistible offer actually is. I'll just cover quickly the three main components. Number one, it's that promise. What is the transformation? You need to have a clear, tangible promise of a transformation. And people get hung up here because they don't. They don't want to promise a certain amount of weight loss or certain amount of muscle gain because there is a line of responsibility, meaning what you are responsible for and what the client is responsible for. So I get it. And as someone who often wants to do things for my clients because I want to skip steps and help them skip steps because I don't want them to learn the hard way, the way that I have learned the hard way. But the truth is that it's not for me to rob them of that lesson. That'd be like me trying to teach my toddler how to run before even giving her the chance to walk or fall down. You're only going to learn and get stronger when rubber meets the road. I'm not a hovering mom, which is funny, because I. But I can sometimes be a hovering coach because I want so badly for my clients to win and to actually get the success that they want. But part of that is going to be in the learning of the lesson. So, yeah, could you make a million dollars in 90 days? Sure, it's absolutely possible. But there's going to be a lot of lessons that need to be learned before that happens. No one gets to skip steps. Then we need to have the process. This is a clear path to the transformation. Now, a lot of now, when I say transformation, right, People want to say, oh, I want them to be empowered. They're going to feel empowered. Okay? But just get clear for your client. How will they know when they're empowered? Whatever your transformation is, how will they know that they're empowered? And I want you to go out in the. In the industry and look at the people that are super successful in terms of their business that they want now, not in terms of, like, comparison and going down the shame spiral, because we can't assess in a vacuum. So we need to be able to evaluate the success of our stuff against the metrics that matter and then go look out in the industry and in the space and be able to clinically pull back. What is it that they're saying that people are like? Like, yeah, that's me. I look at macro programs that are out there right now. When I was teaching fitness, and I would try and get people excited about this nebulous, like, habit change. But then the macro coaches were Crushing it. But that's because they were promising. You're going to walk away knowing exactly what your macros are and be able to build a flexible diet and know exactly how to lose weight and still eat your. And still be able to eat ice cream. That was a very tangible result. And so it wasn't about getting into that shame spiral of, oh, why not me? And it was more about, what can I deliver that is tangible, that someone will walk away knowing, oh, yeah, I need that than that. And then we need to have the process. This is where people spend a lot of time. These are the features. This is when I'm going to get trained, heroic. I'm going to get pro code, you're going to get blah, blah, blah. Your clients don't know anything about that. They just want to know, is there a clear path to the transformation that is easy? People are looking for automation and they're looking for easy. Now, you and I both know that, that anything worth doing isn't always easy. But what they're really saying is that they're looking for the simplicity. If they have to think too hard, then it might not be worth it. Then we've got the value, the price, where most people want to, want to spend their time. Now, I've done a lot of training on this price and I've actually was talking to my coach about this this weekend because it can sometimes be, it can sometimes be scary when it comes to pricing, when you look out in the market space and you see, oh, I'm more expensive than most, or the fitness industry teaches us that we need to be cheap. But I want you to think about it like this. The price, we need to make sure that we are communicating that the value is 10 times worth the asking investment. And no matter what price point you pick, number one, there is a customer for you at every level. And if you are worried about accessibility, this is why you'll have multiple offers. It doesn't need to be just one offer. You can have different levels or tiers to your offer so that you have that accessibility. So the thing about price is that price is marketing. And so people will often ask me, well, how do I pick my price? You know, when, when, how do I be competitive? And so the way that I. The metaphor that I often use is that no one's going to spend $1,000 on a Butterfinger bar. And so I brought that up to my mentor this weekend. But then we started talking about it and I realized, and we started, we started. We're both from New York So we were thinking about serendipity. Serendipity and how serendipity has that thousand dollar dessert. There's like gold flakes in it. Everyone always talks about it, but it's literally a thousand dollar bowl of ice cream. And so what you really want to be thinking about, instead of asking yourself, will someone pay $1,000 for a Butterfinger, shift the question to what goes in $1,000 offer? What is the clear path to transformation? And if it is $1,000 offer, we're solving a $10,000 problem. So let's say we did want to sell $1,000 Butterfinger. Instead of saying no one's going to buy $1,000 Butterfinger, we have to ask ourselves, what's the $10,000 butter worth? The investment of 1,000. So if you want to take serendipity for example. Right. People come from all over the world. Well, they used to pre pandemic to have this dessert to say that they were part of this experience. I don't know about you, it's not for me, but ingesting gold flakes is not really my ideal idea of fun. But it is for some. And so for you and your offers, you want to be thinking about what is the value, what goes into this $1,000 offer. And it's a slippery slope and it can get really tricky here because what is often easy to you is not easy to your client. So you might not spend thousand dollars on your health, but your clients will. But I can promise you there is a customer for every level that you pick. And I could also promise you that the price objection is going to come up no matter what it, it is free. Whether it's $27, whether it's $2,700, price is both relative and marketing. Okay, number two and the second pillar that I always talk about, the powerful position. Right. This is, this is your messaging. And there was a busy. That was a big heavy sigh. Not because, not for any other reason except that I know that I've talked about this a lot. And even if you're listening to this podcast and you've listened beginning and you've heard me talk about messaging before, the truth of the matter is that messaging is always growing and changing and growing with you. I am always going back to my messaging, always going back to what is my unique solution? How do I set myself apart in the market space? How do I shine light on the possible consequences if people continue to go down the path that they currently on? And so even if you have that inclination right now to be like, oh no, Beverly, I've heard this. I want you to, I want to encourage you to just try and listen and hear for a different way of saying this because I think what has come up a lot, especially in the PT profit formula, when we start talking about the messaging and we start talking about, about creating demand for the next step, whether it is an email, whether it is, whether it is getting on the phone, whether it is joining the group program and a lot of the persuasion and influence language that goes into that type of content sometimes is perceived as negative or perceived as trying to put people in pain or fear mongering. And I've taught these tools for years now and I definitely understand that. I definitely, I definitely understand that feeling of oh, this is so negative. Maybe you've even gone through this experience yourself where you've read something or you've been, been in a process with someone and it just feels negative and you can't put your finger finger on why. I know, that's happened to me too. And you just recognize that it's not for you. That experience is actually a good thing. And it's a good thing for two reasons. Because number one, it's going to shine light onto the type of coach and the type of marketing influence that you want to have inside of your own business, number one. And number two, it means that the people that are for that person who's going through that negative experience, they're going to be attracted to that. And there is an abundant amount of people for you and it just means that you're not for that person and that's a good thing. Then you're going to find your team, your people and you're going to attract your people that will be attracted to your message. So recognizing and seeing in the industry what you're not for and who's not for you, what doesn't resonate with you, it's actually a really good thing. Honestly. There's going to be a whole, there's going to be another entire podcast about this topic because I think it's a really big deal. I did some lives on it last last week. Is this whole idea of trolls and what do we do when people don't agree with us? Because that's going to happen when you start to nail your messaging and you start putting yourself out there. It's going to take something from you and it's going to require you to make a case for something, to draw a line in the sand. And because of the law of Polari, there's going to be, both perspectives are going to exist. Meaning that when you stand for habits, the opposite and people who stand for the opposite exist. So whatever you stand for, the opposite exists. It's a good thing, because the people who need your message, you are going to attract them. This is going to require Razor's Edge content, meaning content that you both. That you care everything that you pour your heart and soul into and you. You care so much about it, but you also have to let the piece go and not care about the interpretations that other people will have for it. Now, this is a nuanced conversation because we are going to talk about the responsibility of intent versus impact. And what I mean by that is when we start putting together our powerful position and start putting together these pieces of content that are going, that make a case for what we stand for. I always ask my clients and my. My members to check in with your intention because we cannot control the interpretations of the other people. This is where that Razor's Edge part comes in. We cannot. We cannot control it, but we are responsible for the impact. So this is why you doubling down and getting very clear on your intention is so important. Because when I know that I am ending suffering, when I am connected to my deeper purpose, when I am writing and creating from a place to end suffering instead of being right, instead of writing from my ego. Because remember, I'm not creating content to be right. I've said this before, and I'll say it again. This is not about me. My content is not about me. It is about helping you. It's taken me a long time to get here, but it's not about being right. I don't need to be right. I need to help you. And so when I create from that place, when I inspire people to take action, to do what they are put on this planet to do, I will happily and fully be responsible for the impact that that will create. So let's even simplify this concept, right? If you go and look at your. If you go and look at your. At Rotten Tomatoes and up your favorite movie that you've ever seen before, right? And. And you look at all the reviews of that movie, you're gonna see people who didn't like it. I'm still gonna stand behind my movie and love it. I'm still gonna make a case for that movie, and I'm gonna let go and I'm gonna be okay with other people's interpretations of that movie. And I'm still gonna make a case for my favorite movie because I love it on Here, I'm making a case, stand for it. I can live and be okay with the people who don't like it. So I'll create another podcast. We'll go down another rabbit hole about navigating trolls and when to engage and when not to, when to listen, when to. When to assess the impact versus the intent. Because it is a nuanced conversation. Which is why I do encourage my people to just always check in with the intention of their people pieces. But it's important to have these conversations and it's important to make a case for something and not stay vanilla. Because, friends, this is the difference between market saturation and market sophistication. If you want to cut through the wall of noise of people who. It sounds like they're saying the same thing over and over and over, you have to create that powerful position and get so sophisticated in your marketing so that you become one in a market of one. This doesn't mean you have to be negative in your marketing. This doesn't mean you have to fear monger. This doesn't mean that you have to be manipulative, which is the word I hear a lot of people say when it comes to marketing. None of that has to exist. In fact, the well meaning gurus out there that you might even resonate with, they'll be like, no, you just put out a ton of value. Just put out a ton of value. Just. Just post every single day, right? They're doing this stuff unconsciously. I know because I've worked with people. People will naturally make a case for what they stand for without knowing what it is they're doing, which is a good thing, it's not a bad thing. But the reason I'm bringing it to your attention is because if you're struggling, then let's double down on this. This is why inside my course, this is why my clients that work with me, we peel back this info. Think of it like we're. You're teaching somebody the biomechanics of a squat, or you're teaching somebody to squat for the first time, not so that you can demonstrate how smart you are, but so that they can become unconsciously competent in the movement. The same is true with your content in your position. Okay, number three, which is the plan. So so many people will tell me, beverly, how do you do it all? The truth is that we have to plan time to make time. This is true for your marketing, for your business, for literally everything that you're doing inside of your business every day. And for me, I'll Tell you it is based from a plan. Sure. Last week we didn't have a Tuesday marketing because one of my guests fell through. So it's about creating the discipline required and I'm always hesitant to use that word, discipline because in the fitness space we sometimes take discipline to an extreme and as human beings we like to live in extremes. So. So it's about making sure you are consistent and giving yourself grace. Right. So it's one of those pair, another one of those paradoxes where make sure you are putting yourself on the hook but that you are giving yourself the grace you need to have joy and to live. Okay. So for me, I give myself grace, but I am very strategic in my planning. And with each level that you're going to get, it's going to require another and a different plan. The only reason, and I've said this inside my, my program, the only reason why I don't say that this is a million dollar build a million dollar business inside of my program is not because of the print. Not, it's not because there are principles that I'm missing out for you. The number one reason is because once you get to that level, you' need a team. You're going to need a back end support of people to help you. And I don't teach that in my course yet. I don't teach the team component inside of there yet. So I don't feel comfortable saying build a million dollar business. It's totally possible. But for me I want to. You want to have that, that team support because what happens to so many of my clients that I work with right now is that you're going to get to that six figure mark or that $250,000 threshold. And what's going to happen is that you are going to have a unique relationship with time and money, the two most important resources that are required to build a business. And the more money you make, you might often find that the less time you have available to you. And so the work then becomes how do we enhance the performance of your sales system? How do we get more efficient with both of those time? How do we get more efficient? Efficient with both of those resources. That's what the game becomes. But without a plan and without metrics that matter, you won't be able to assess the performance of your sales system. You won't be able to assess the performance of your business, which often leads people to burnout because they're stressed, they get into this mind frame is that they need to work harder and to earn more. But that's just not true. It's not about hard work. It's about working efficiently. So those are the three pillars of performance that I often talk about all the time. The PT profit formula. But I'll also tell you there are two more components to think about. Number if you're struggling, then I want you to ask yourself on a scale of 1 to 10, where are you on your ability to make a decision fast? So many people get stuck here. They get stuck because they're driven to make a decision on perfection. They want to get it right. Most people will ask me what's the right way to launch? What's the best way? What's the right way? How, what's the. Is this the right polarizing piece? Is this the right connection piece? So I want you to get pay real close attention to your language because when you're saying, when you're asking yourself how can I get it right? It might actually cause you one of the most important leaking of one of the most important resources and that's time. Because people will stay in that uncomfortability of indecision when the truth of the matter is that marketing is all about guessing, testing and assessing. You're not going to know if it's working until you test it. And if you are looking for that language and of right, then I'm going to encourage you to really spend some time with that. Because there is no such thing as right. Because the truth is that it all works. All of it. Everything you've heard works. It's like a diet. Every diet has success stories. It's not about getting it right. It's about taking action, seeing and assessing the performance and working to improve the performance. And then the last one that I'm going to give you, this is the fifth ingredient. It's a little mindset Y but it's really important and it's important for me. I notice it in me and I also notice it in some of my members is that we forget to look back and see how far we've come. Often it can be easy to have expectations of what's going to happen. Then it misses the mark. I've heard this also being said in a way of I've invested in so many programs that over promise and under deliver and I've taught myself over the years because I used to feel like that all the time too. But I've taught myself over the years now to A always look for the lesson because there's a lesson in everything. And then B I always check in with my expectations. What are my expectations that I feel are being met, missed? And I get very clear on that. And sometimes, sometimes if it is something that, that I believe the program's not delivering on whatever it is right, I will have conversations. I will have those crucial conversations. But I it also requires a certain amount of awareness inside of feeling like, of knowing exactly what my expectations are. And honestly having those metrics that matter are key components for me. And when we don't take the time to really get present to all the lessons and the successes that we have, even no matter how big or small they are, what ends up happening is we end up focusing on all the negatives, all the growth or all the areas of opportunity. Because achieving the goal, they're going to be short peak moments. We have to love the process. So it's 100% okay to have goals. I always have goals and I'm always pushing out the goal post. Always. But not at the expense of being appreciative, grateful of the current of your growth. Don't discount that. Don't dismiss it. And ask yourself, remember the time in your life where you were wishing for everything you have right now. It's like when I finally got to that 10k a month from training and I was like, I've made it. And then nothing happened. I just had more problems, more of the same problems, just at a different level. So there you have it. Five reasons if you're struggling these might be the reasons that you want to see take a closer look at if you're struggling. Thanks so much for hanging out with me today. I'll catch you on the next episode. Thank you for listening to the PT Profit Podcast.

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